Value co-creation and destination brand equity: understanding the role of social commerce information sharing

Purpose Widespread technology adoption in tourism enables tourists to be active content creators, thus, influencing destination brands through co-creation. This study examines value co-creation, social commerce information sharing, and destination brand equity. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was applied to analyse data collected from a global online survey. Hypotheses were tested using PLS-SEM analysis. Findings Results show that destination brand equity is positively influenced by value co-creation. Additionally, social commerce information sharing mediates the relationship between value co-creation and destination brand equity. Practical implications The article adds new insights to tourism marketing by investigating value co-creation, social commerce information sharing and destination brand equity. It also offers interesting implications for destination managers to improve Vietnam as a destination brand. Originality/value This paper is among the first to test the mediating role of social commerce on value co-creation and destination brand equity

Alpha-mangostin inhibits the migration and invasion of A549 lung cancer cells

Several studies have indicated that α-mangostin exerts anti-metastasis and anti-subsistence effects on several types of cancer cells. Especially, the anti-metastatic effect of α-mangostin on cancer cells is a prospective function in cancer treatment. However, the metastasis process is complicated, and includes migration, invasion, intravasation, and extravasation; thus, the main target of anti-metastatic effect of α-mangostin is not known. In this study, we investigated the effects of α-mangostin on the invasion, subsistence, and migration of lung cancer cells under co-culture conditions with normal cells and regular mono-culture conditions. We found that α-mangostin killed the lung cancer and normal cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the alteration in the surface mechanical properties of cells was examined by using atomic force microscopy. Although the α-mangostin concentrations of 5 and 10 µM did not affect the short-term cell viability, they considerably decreased the Young’s modulus of lung cancer cells implying a decline in cell surface actin cytoskeletal properties. Additionally, these concentrations of α-mangostin inhibited the migration of lung cancer cells. In co-culture conditions (cancer cells with normal cells), the invasive activities of cancer cells on normal cells were discernibly observed, and was inhibited after treatment with 5 and 10 µM of α-mangostin. Taken together, α-mangostin suppressed the subsistence of lung cancer cells and displayed anti-metastatic activities by inhibiting the migration and invasion, and reducing the actin cytoskeleton of cancer cells. Our findings suggest that α-mangostin could be a potential therapeutic agent for cancer treatment

The Big Five personality traits and co-production behaviour of Vietnamese tourists: An extension of the theory of planned behaviour

U okviru Ajzenove teorije planiranog ponašanja, studija se provodi kako bi se procijenila povezanost petofaktorskog modela ličnosti i tri tipa koprodukcijskog ponašanja turista: koprodukcijsko ponašanje prije putovanja, koprodukcijsko ponašanje tijekom putovanja, te koprodukcijsko ponašanje nakon putovanja. U modelu teorije planiranog ponašanja pojašnjava se i medijacijski utjecaj koproduckijskog stava. Istraživanje je provedeno pomoću online i osobnog istraživanja u periodu od siječnja do svibnja 2021.Subjekti istraživanja su vijetnamski turisti koji žive i rade u Vijetnamu te su putovali u posljednje dvije godine. Rezultati istraživanja otkrivaju da sve tri osobine ličnosti: Ekstraverzija, Otvorenost i Ugodnost pozitivno utječu na tri kategorije koprodukcijskog ponašanja, dok Savjesnost i Neuroticizam utječu samo na koprodukcijsko ponašanje tijekom putovanja. Pojašnjeni su komplementarni i neizravni medijacijski učinak koprodukcijskog stava. Ova studija pridonosi proširenju teorije planiranog ponašanja analizom petofaktorskog modela ličnosti u koprodukcijskom ponašanju turista. Nalazi istraživanja pomažu turističkim tvrtkama da bolje razumiju kako osobine ličnosti posjetitelja utječu na njihovu koprodukciju i pomažu im u izgradnji učinkovitih metoda koprodukcije. Osobe zaposlene u turizmu trebaju razviti različite pristupe za skupine kupaca s prepoznatljivim karakteristikama u svakoj fazi koprodukcijskog procesa.In the framework of Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the study is conducted to evaluate the association between The Big Five personality traits and the three types of tourists’ co-production behaviour: co-production behaviour before the trip, co-production behaviour during the trip, and co-production behaviour after the trip. The mediating type of co-production attitude is also clarified in this TPB model. The online and in-person survey methodologies have been used from January to May 2021. The study’s survey subjects are Vietnamese tourists who live and work in Vietnam and have travelled within the last two years. The research results reveal that all three personalities: Extraversion, Openness, and Agreeableness, positively affect the three categories of co-production behaviours, whereas Consciousness and Neuroticism only influence production behaviour during the trip. Two types of mediation: complementary and indirectonly effect of co-production attitude, is clarified. This study contributes to broader TPB theory by analyzing Big Five personality traits in tourist co-production behaviour. Our findings assist tourism businesses in better understanding how visitors’ personalities impact their co-production and assist them in building effective co-production methods. Tourism practitioners should develop different approaches for groups of customers with distinguished characteristics in each stage of their co-production processes

A Study on Factors Impacting on Profitability: The Case of Vietnam

This study is conducted to investigate factors influencing the profitability of the Vietnamese food processing firms. Data was collected from audited financial statements from listed food processing firms on the Vietnam Stock Exchange. Panel regression model was applied in this study (PLS). The testing methods used in this research were Pearson model; Modified Wald Test, Wooldridge test (for autocorreclation in panel data), Hausman model, especially the relationship between FEM and REM as well as Multicollinearity test based on VIF coeficient. The results shows that DR, SDR and LDR have negative impacts on profitability. In contrast, TDTELT have positive impacts on the profitability. FATA and SIZE impact return on asset (ROA) without statistical significance. SIZE has positive impact on return on equity (ROE) while it impacts negatively on profit margin (PM). Moreover, AGE, GDP growth, and inflation do not have impact on profitability. Keywords: Factors, Return on assets, Food processing firms, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-10-07 Publication date:May 31st 202

Evaluation Of Agronomic Traits And Adaptation Of Some Promising Salt Tolerant Rice Lines/Varieties Growing In The Coastal Areas In Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the main food in Vietnam and plays an important role in economic activity in this country. However, rice yield and growing areas are adversely influenced by the threats of the devastation caused by the rise of sea level. This study aimed to evaluate the salt effects in field experiments of 19 promising salt tolerance rice lines/varieties carrying QTL/Saltol, which were selected from the BC2F5 breeding combination between FL479 and Bac Thom 7 (BC7). The field experiments were conducted in two consecutive seasons at three saline-affected rice growing areas, including Nga Son, Hoang Hoa and Quang Xuong districts, Thanh Hoa province. The results showed that among those promising rice lines, the HL15 line had the best yield components in all experimented sites, and good agronomic traits with short plant height and shorter growth duration than the BC7 variety (115-117 days) in the spring season and 102-103 days in the summer season, respectively. All tested had the same level of pest resistance/infection as the control variety BT7 under production conditions using pesticides including HL1, HL13 and HL15, which were mildly infected with the bacterial leaf blight, while HL15 variety showed high resistance to pests and diseases. Moreover, the HL2, HL15 and HL19 lines had scored 3, equivalent to FL478 (tolerant), and the survival rate was over 85% compared with the control variety. Overall, our findings showed that the promising purebred variety HL15 had a range of good agronomic characteristics, resistance to major pests and diseases, high yield potential and salinity tolerance of 6‰. The HL15 variety was renamed as SHPT15 and continued to conduct procedures to recognize it as a new rice variety

Interactions between food environment and (Un)healthy consumption: Evidence along a rural-urban transect in Viet Nam

There is limited evidence on food environment in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the application of food environment frameworks and associated metrics in such settings. Our study examines how food environment varies across an urban-peri-urban-rural gradient from three sites in North Viet Nam and its relationship with child undernutrition status and household consumption of processed food. By comparing three food environments, we present a picture of the food environment in a typical emerging economy with specific features such as non-market food sources (own production and food transfers) and dominance of the informal retail sector. We combined quantitative data (static geospatial data at neighborhood level and household survey) and qualitative data (in-depth interviews with shoppers). We found that across the three study sites, traditional open and street markets remain the most important outlets for respondents. Contrary to the common concern that urban households are the major consumers of processed foods, peri-urban and rural areas on average had higher consumption of ultra-processed foods than in urban areas. The low price levels of processed foods and the presence of processed foods even among the traditional convenience stores, those in closest proximity to the rural households, offer potential explanations of this result. Regarding undernutrition, low retail diversity and a household’s dependence on own production have important implications for the high prevalence of child undernutrition in rural areas. Our findings add to the current discussion on the critical role of the food environment on nutrition, such as the potential link between economic marginalization and access to food, and the role of food supply channels in consumption of processed foods

EFFECT OF MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING (MAP) AND POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS ON QUALITY OF LITCHI FRUITS DURING STORAGE

In this article, effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and different postharvest treatments on quality of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruit was investigated. Quality indexes of litchi during cold storage at 4 ± 1 oC were measured in terms of decay, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, color, anthocyanin content and incidence of microbiological infection. These indexes were determined at harvest and 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after storage. The results suggested that after 35 days of storage, the pericarp browning and fruit quality deterioration can be improved compared to the control by dipping fruit is hot water at 47 oC in 7 min., followed by oxalic acid solution (pH = 3 in 6 min.) and finally packed in MAP bag (LDPE, thickness of 30 µm incorporated 3-5 % silica additive) and stored at 4 ± 10C and relative humidity of 90 %